Q IS FOR...
Quilling!
Quilling or paper filigree is an art form that involves the use of strips of paper that are rolled, shaped, and glued together to create decorative designs. The paper is wound around a quill to create a basic coil shape. The paper is glued at the tip and the coil shaped, these shaped coils are arranged to form flowers, leaves, and various ornamental patterns similar to ironwork.
During the Renaissance, French and Italian nuns and monks used quilling to decorate book covers and religious items. The paper most commonly used was strips of paper trimmed from the gilded edges of books. These gilded paper strips were then rolled to create the quilled shapes. Quilling often imitated the original ironwork of the day.
In the 18th century, quilling became popular in Europe where gentle ladies of quality ("ladies of leisure") practiced the art. It was one of the few things ladies could do that was thought not too taxing for their minds or gentle dispositions. Quilling also spread to the Americas and there are a few examples from Colonial times.
Today, quilling is seeing a resurgence in popularity with quillers (people who practice the art of quilling) on every continent and in every walk of life. No longer confined to the "upper classes", this is a peoples art form and the beauty of the art is always expanding. The craft has become increasingly popular due to the low cost of the material. It is used to decorate wedding invitations, birth announcements, greeting cards, scrapbook pages, and boxes. Quilling can be found in art galleries in Europe and in the United States and is an art that is practiced around the world.
Quilling Tools and Supplies
I began quilling in mid 1990's when I could no longer pursue sports. As with everything else I've learned, I wanted to see if I could do it. It took a while to become decent at it, but once I did, I had a lot of fun.
I always used a cork board set up exactly like the one below. It helped when I arranged and glued the small quilled pieces and gave me a surface on which to dry them completely flat.
Far and away, what I quilled most often was snowflakes. First I bought every pattern book I could find that had snowflakes in it (available on line). Eventually, I began to create my own patterns. One year alone, I quilled enough snowflakes of all different patterns and sizes to decorate an entire Christmas tree. Another year I made quilled snowflakes for Christmas gifts.
I still have my quilling tools and supplies, but I haven't quilled anything new in almost a decade. I'd have to perfect 'the touch' all over again and I'm quite sure I no longer have that level of patience. :)
When you quill, you're truly only limited by your imagination.
*Today's images are all from CreartiveShop.flickr.com and google.com*
Always looking forward, PJ
